Folding wall or door

ABSTRACT

A folding panel structure, useful as a wall, partition or door, has two opposite and equally configured sides 10, 11. Each side comprises a repeating series of two wide sections 13, 14 separated by an intermediate narrow section 15, and the sides are connected together by spacers 24 such that the fold or hinge line between two adjacent wide sections of one side lies opposite the center of a narrow section of the other side. When folded, the structure roughly approximates, in cross-section, two series of adjacent U-shaped members with the side-by-side legs of each series accommodated or nested within the cavities of the other series.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,789,906

Viol et al. Feb. 5, 1974 [54] FOLDING WALL OR DOOR 3,073,382 1/1963 Zimmerman et al. l60/l99 X [75] Inventors: Gunter Viol, Oldenburg; Werner Primary Examiner-Mervin Stein bmh Gemany Assistant Examiner-Philip c. Kannan [73] Assignee: Lignacord GmbH, Oldenburg, Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion,

Germany Zinn & Macpeak [22] Filed: Apr. 14, 1972 [571' ABSTRACT pp 244,192 A folding panel structure, useful as a wall, partition or door, has two opposite and equally configured sides 52 us. Cl. 160/199, 160/232 Each Side mPriSeS a repeating sen'es 51 Im. Cl E06b 03/48 Wide fictions 13, 14 Separated by an intermediate 5 Field f S h160/199 206 232 34 R, 84 v row section 15, and the sides are connected together 160/84 H by spacers 24 such that the fold or hinge line between two adjacent wide sections of one side lies opposite [56] References Cited the center of a narrow section of the other side. When UNITED STATES PATENTS folded, the structure roughly approximates, in crosssection, two series of adjacent U-shaped members 2,667,2l8 l/l954 Collins 160/199 X with the Side by side legs of each series accommo 6 dated or nested within the cavities of the other series. 2,802,522 8/1957 Collet 160/199 X 8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 26 P W J! 1; i 3

I L j] 4 T If 14 i! FOLDING WALL OR DOOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to folding walls or doors comprising at least two shells adapted to fold together disposed at a distance from one another and displaceably suspended from a ceiling or in a door aperture and/or supported on the floor by rails, slides or the like.

In such folding walls or doors there is a difference between single and double shell structures. The single shell folding wall or door consists of a single wall which may possibly be a hollow body, the parts of which are not displaceable relative to one another. As a result of the elasticity of the material or the hinge-like connections disposed at intervals between the shell parts, the more or less stiff shell parts with this type of structure can be pushed together to form a folded pack and can be pulled out in a wave shaped or zigzag fashion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aim of the invention is to provide a new type of folding wall or door having the advantages of the known types but avoiding the disadvantages. Satisfactory noise insulation as well as adequate stability with a simple structure and a pleasant appearance are sought in particular.

The folding wall or door according to the invention comprises two shells which are independent of one another and move in phase and thus parallel to one another. As a result, a folding wall or door of relatively simple structure is obtained, having increased stability and better sound insulation as compared to single shell structures. Such qualities are only otherwise obtained with double shell structures. The folding wall or door according to the invention requires a relatively small amount of space both in the extended and folded position.

As a result of the fact that according to the invention two independent shells are connected together, particular acoustic advantages are obtained as each shell can vibrate on its own, especially when the connection between the shells has a certain amount of play. In contrast, the hollow bodies used in the case of known shells can be considered acoustically as a single unit with corresponding vibration behavior.

In the telescopic or folded state the invention makes it possible for the pack length of the shells to be that of a double shell structure whereas the pack width is considerably reduced. In addition, it is advantageous for the shells to be very close to one another in the open position of the door whereas in the closed state there is a more or less sizeable space between them thus forming an air cushion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further details of the invention will now be described with reference to an example of an embodiment represented in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a section of a folding door according to the invention in the extended state,

FIG. 2 is a larger scale version ofa horizontal section through a part of a folding door according to the invention,

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section of a folding door according to the invention in the telescopic state,

FIG. 4 is a larger scale version of a section of a folding door according to the invention in the extended state, and

FIG. 5 is a detail of the mounting arrangement of the folding door opening according to the section V-V in FIG. 3, likewise on a larger scale.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings the invention is described with reference to a harmonica door, the shells of which are made of wood or similar materials.

According to the invention at least two shells are provided to form the folding wall or folding door. These shells are so disposed in respect to one another that they run approximately parallel to one another in each position of the folding wall or door.

In the telescopic state (FIG. 3) the shells l0 and 11 are rolled in a meander fashion whereas in the extended state they have a slightly zigzag formation. For purpose of simplification the extended position is represented in FIG. 2. The folding wall or door thus formed is suspended so as to be displaceable by means of slides, rollers 12 or the like, for example on rails on the ceiling of the room or on an aperture lintel.

In the example illustrated the identically formed shells and 11 are each composed of individual sheets, the visible surfaces of the shells 10 and 11 being formed by two adjacent broad sheets 13 and 14 as well as by a narrow sheet 15 in series. The sheets l3, l4 and 15 are connected so as to be pivotable with respect to one another.

For this purpose, a special embodiment of the sheets is advantageous. These consist, as may be seen in particular from FIG. 4, ofa relatively thick walled foundation 16 or 17 of wood or wooden material. On the outer visible side these foundation parts 16 and 17 are provided with a thin outer coating layer, more particularly with an adhesive veneer 18 or 19. Between the foundation parts 16 or 17 and the wood veneer 18 or 19 is a link 20 which connects the multi-layer sheets thus formed so that they are pivotable with respect to one another. The gaps 21 formed on the outside between the sheets are relatively narrow so that overall a practically uninterrupted external wood appearance is provided by the wood veneer 18 and 19. On the inside the foundation parts 16 and 17 are provided with surfaces 22 and 23 inclined at an angle of less than 45.

The shells 10 and 11 are arranged adjacent to one another in such a way that a narrow sheet 15 of the one shell is disposed in the region of a joint between two broader sheets 13 and 14 of the other shell. At this point a supporting member 24 is also provided between the shells 10 and 11. This increases the stability of the door and determines the distance between the shells 10 and 11 at this point. The outer and inner widths of the narrow sheets 15 are so proportioned relative to the thickness of the broad sheets 13 and 14 that in the telescopic state (FIG. 3), the outer visible surface of the sheets 15 corresponds to the breadth or thickness of four layers of closely adjacent shells 10 and 11, whereas the inner surface of the sheets 15 corresponds to the thickness of two adjacent sheets 13 and 14 and thus two layers of shells l0 and l 1. As a result, it is possible for the shells l0 and 11 in connection with the inclined faces 22 and 23 to be pushed together to form a narrow pack of which the outer visible surfaces are formed exclusively by the narrow closely adjacent sheets 15.

The supporting members 24 are also constructed in a particular way. These consist of parts of the shells or 11. Each shell 10 or 11 is formed of mass produced units, one unit in the case of the example represented consisting of two broad sheets 13 and 14, a narrow sheet 15 disposed between these sheets and narrow sheets 25 and 26 pivotably connected at the ends of the broad sheets 13 and 14 remote from the narrow sheet 15. These two narrow lateral sheets 25 and 26 are swung inwards during assembly, the outer surfaces of the two adjacent narrow sheets 25 and 26 of adjacent units thus meet and are connected together so that a support member 24 consisting of two sheets 25 and 26 is formed. The stub or lateral face 27 of this supporting member is connected, more particularly is stuck by means of adhesive, to the inside of the opposite narrow sheet 15, as shown in FIG. 4. In this way, a functional yet effective folding wall or folding door structure of very simple construction and with a pleasing appearance is obtained.

The assembly of the folding wall or door is also very simple. For this purpose an attachment rod 30 is provided in the region between two end sheets 28 and 29 with the rod, for example, fixed by means of adhesive to the inner side of an end sheet 28 whereas the other end sheet 29 remains movable initially. When assembling the door, the attachment points on a door jam 31 or the like are first determined, these corresponding with bore holes made on the working side of the connection rod 30. Screws 33 or the like are then fixed in the door jarn 31 in the region of the connection points. The bore holes 32 in the connection rod 30 are proportioned so as to allow the passage of the head of the screw. The connecting rod 30 is now placed on the screws 33 previously positioned on the door jam 31. The head of the screws 33 passes completelythrough the bore holes 32. For securement purposes, wedges 34 are then driven on the inside between the' screw head and connection rod 30. The connection rod 30 is thus secured by the clamping action ofthe wedge 34 and the door is fixed in place. An appropriate closing profile 35 is disposed on the opposite edge of the door.

According to a further feature of the invention, in order to provide the folding wall or door constructed according to the invention with some guidance in each position of the shells l0 and 11 so that regular waves or folds are formed, the shells l0 and 11 are connected together by a horizontally movable template, more particularly on braces displaceable in a horizontal plane. These are advantageously attached between the upper edge of the folding wall or folding door and the ceiling of the building or the aperture lintel.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A folding panel structure adapted to be used as a partition. wall, door or the like, comprising:

a. two spaced, opposing, substantially parallel oriented and foldable panel members, each member being formed of a plurality of substantially planar sections joined together along substantially parallel hinge lines, said members being arranged in phase relative to each other; and

b. means interconnecting the two panel members for enabling them to be folded within each other in a synchronized and interfitting manner.

2. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 1,

wherein:

a. each panel member comprises a repeating series of two sections of equal width separated by an intermediate section of smaller width, and

b. characterized in that the panel members are spaced apart when open with an air space between them, and immediately adjacent each other when folded with substantially no air space between them.

3. A folding panel structure as define in claim 2,

wherein:

a. each hinge line joining two sections of equal width in one panel member is disposed opposite the center of an intermediate section in the other panel member,

b. whereby the folded panel structure roughly approximates, in cross-section, two series of adjacent U-shaped members with the side-by-side legs of each series accommodated within the cavities of the other series.

4. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 3, wherein the means interconnecting the two panel members comprises a plurality of spacer members, each such member being fixedly secured to an intermediate section of one panel member at one end and hingedly secured to each of two adjacent sections of equal width of the other panel member at the other end.

5. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 1, further comprising means mounted in the central plane of the panel structure for supporting same in a fixed installation, whereby the folded panel structure extends substantially equally on both sides of such support means.

6. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 4, wherein:

a. each intermediate section has an outer width substantially equal to the thickness of four sections, and, through its own thickness, tapers inwardly to an inner width substantially equal to the thickness of two sections, and

b. each spacer member has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of two sections, whereby the outer surfaces of the folded structure are formed by series of adjacent intermediate sections.

7. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 6, wherein each spacer member is formed by two joined, inwardly directed continuations of adjacent sections of equal width.

8. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 6, wherein:

a. each section has an inner base and an outer veneer overlying the base, and

b. the lateral edges of each section taper inwardly at an angle of approximately 45. 

1. A folding panel structure adapted to be used as a partition, wall, door or the like, comprising: a. two spaced, opposing, substantially parallel oriented and foldable panel members, each member being formed of a plurality of substantially planar sections joined together along substantially parallel hinge lines, said members being arranged in phase relative to each other; and b. means interconnecting the two panel members for enabling them to be folded within each other in a synchronized and interfitting manner.
 2. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 1, wherein: a. each panel member comprises a repeating series of two sections of equal width separated by an intermediate section of smaller width, and b. characterized in that the panel members are spaced apart when open with an air space between them, and immediately adjacent each other when folded with substantially no air space between them.
 3. A folding panel structure as define in claim 2, wherein: a. each hinge line joining two sections of equal width in one panel member is disposed opposite the center of an intermediate section in the other panel member, b. whereby the folded panel structure roughly approximates, in cross-section, two series of adjacent U-shaped members with the side-by-side legs of each series accommodated within The cavities of the other series.
 4. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 3, wherein the means interconnecting the two panel members comprises a plurality of spacer members, each such member being fixedly secured to an intermediate section of one panel member at one end and hingedly secured to each of two adjacent sections of equal width of the other panel member at the other end.
 5. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 1, further comprising means mounted in the central plane of the panel structure for supporting same in a fixed installation, whereby the folded panel structure extends substantially equally on both sides of such support means.
 6. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 4, wherein: a. each intermediate section has an outer width substantially equal to the thickness of four sections, and, through its own thickness, tapers inwardly to an inner width substantially equal to the thickness of two sections, and b. each spacer member has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of two sections, whereby the outer surfaces of the folded structure are formed by series of adjacent intermediate sections.
 7. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 6, wherein each spacer member is formed by two joined, inwardly directed continuations of adjacent sections of equal width.
 8. A folding panel structure as defined in claim 6, wherein: a. each section has an inner base and an outer veneer overlying the base, and b. the lateral edges of each section taper inwardly at an angle of approximately 45*. 